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That Davnor budget augmentation ordinance

Sept 30

Davao del Norte PCL president and Boardmember Larry Caminero has really a point in raising the useless legislative process of having budget augmentation ordinance passed for confirmation by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Indeed, so much effort and time have been wasted already by the provincial board and all city and municipal sanggunians in the province. Why not just return all those ordinances of this type to the councils of origin as many other provinces do not practice this process.

The Dept. of Management XI in having rendered a legal opinion overriding Caminero’s view is obviously just playing it safe within the books- of not rocking the boat. Under this practice that the Davao del Norte provincial board has been following, even an augmentation of small amount of budget within the same expense class, say expense items within the same department, could still not be used unless the SP confirms it.

We know for a fact that just like the recent Tagum City fare increase ordinance, it all takes one month and 21 days for the ordinance to take effect, from the date of approval at the city level to the date of the transmission of the SP confirmation resolution to the city government and the actual date of implementation.

That for an urgent measure like the fare increase ordinance, but how much more to recurring and traditional measures like budget ordinances? Caminero estimated that it would take to have the SP confirmation two to three months, given the long legislative processes starting from the first reading to committee meetings and hearings and the second and final readings. This is quite an intolerable snail-paced process.

Why can’t the Davao del Norte provincial board take a second look of this nuisance measure at its level. The raised point and assumption is that budgets for expenditures have already been closely scrutinized and reviewed starting from the municipal and city levels up to the provincial board in the approval of the annual budget. Thus, confirming budget augmentation is repetitious, wasteful and as Boardmember Caminero said is it counter-productive and gives a lot of bureaucratic redtape to the government.

It pains so much to the Davao del Norte people in seeing their provincial board and local councils spending a lot of man-hours and saliva in passing a useless measure. (Cha Monforte/Rural Urban News) http://ruralurbanews.blogspot.com